options random home screenshot http://www.mit.edu:8001/afs/athena.mit.edu/user/r/e/rei/WWW/Kidir/Kihome.html (World Wide Web Directory, ~04/1995)
Ki Society Homepage

Ki Society Homepage

The Ki Society is a worldwide organization devoted to teaching the principles of Ki Aikido (also known as Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido), which include Ki development, mind and body coordination, and, of course, all sorts of aikido techniques. What makes this style of aikido different from some other forms of aikido (and many forms of martial arts) is the emphasis on Ki (energy) and harmony. Literally, Aikido can be interpreted to mean "The path of harmonious energy." This is the keystone of Ki Aikido philosophy.

Aikido can be extremely powerful, even for small, weak people. In an incident about three years ago, a 280 pound Virginia Ki Society instructor was thrown by a 30 pound 5-year old girl when he wasn't expecting it (a witness says his expression of surprise was priceless). Said the flustered instructor afterward: "I've always said this worked, I believed it worked, but now I know it works!"

The below, unless otherwise stated or unless maintained by other people, are taken from material published by a couple of dojos of the Ki Society (Yes, they granted me permission to put it in).

The maintainer's personal observations. What I learned from my brief study at the Virginia Ki Society dojo.
A brief introduction to aikido and Ki development. If you want one paragraph summaries, here they are.
On aikido --- Some Common Problems and Observations. Answers to questions sometimes asked by outside observers of aikido.
Understanding Mind and Body Unification. A good introduction to aikido basics and the philosophy behind it, including a guide to a couple of ki development exercises.
Understanding the Five Principles of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido. An overview of principles behind each movement in Ki-Aikido.
Ki Breathing: a short guide. Ki Breathing is one of the keystones of ki development, which is a crucial part of aikido.
Ki exercises for health: a rather brief description.
Oneness taiso (exercises): a description.
Aiki Taiso (exercises), a large GIF located in the UK.
The 5th Kyu Aikido Test: a partial description of some techniques.
Words and phrases.
Suggested Reading.
Massachusetts Ki Society Schedule
Virginia Ki Society Schedule.
Oregon Ki Society info. Soon to be followed by a link to the Oregon Ki Society homepage (I hope).
New Jersey Ki Society Info.
Links to the Philadelphia Ki Society and the Penn Ki Aikido club!
Seattle Ki Society Info.
New! Calgary Ki Society Info.
Ki Society Dojos in the continental USA (out of date)
Other related Resources. Non-Ki Society Aikido pages, martial-arts references. Feel free to email me with suggestions.
A little bit more on Ki Aikido: it is a martial art that is purely defensive. One of its prime philosophies is that we should all follow the path of harmony. In fact, true Aikido is the ability to defuse potential conflicts before they happen, not to be able to beat up someone. Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido, and Koichi Tohei, one of Ueshiba's students and founder of the Ki Society, were both men of extraordinary Ki and a sense that aikido should bring peace, not conflict.

But this does not mean that Aikido is for "wimps"; it means that Aikido is for people who want to learn to master their inner selves and bring something positive into the world. The study of Ki can open up a new world to the student.

Standard disclaimer: I am not being paid by the Ki Society to maintain this page, and opinions stated here are not necessarily those of the Society --- or vice versa.
rei@mit.edu (Eri Izawa)